On May 26th, 2019, Sum 41 brought their “No Personal Space Tour” to a sold out Bottom Lounge in Chicago, IL. The veteran rockers are playing some smaller venues for this circuit — for an “intimate, real punk rock show,” as described by singer Deryck Whibley during the set. Though they have an upcoming new record, Order in Decline, the setlist for this show had no shortage of the group’s older songs.
Starting off the night was Assuming We Survive. The pop punk group hailing from southern California burst right out of the gate with a high energy and fun set, drawing in the attention of the crowd immediately. The band’s lead singer, Adrian Estrella, grabbed the attention of the audience from the second he stepped foot onstage, interacting with the crowd and using the whole stage to his advantage. They also catered to the older and more local crowd, by covering a bit of the Beastie Boy’s classic “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!)” as a clever and smooth lead into their track “Home Is Where The Heart Is”. Their genuine charisma was on display throughout the evening, whether that was high-fiving every incoming crowd-surfer or chatting with fans as they loaded out their equipment at the end of the night.
When Sum 41 took the stage, they took their fans on a journey back to their very first cassette tape with the track “Summer,” which still holds up with its chugging guitar riffs and the primal smack of its drumbeat. They also played “Machine Gun” from 2000’s “Half Hour of Power”, and some big hits from 2001’s “All Killer No Filler”, as well as “The Hell Song,” and “Over My Head (Better Off Dead)”. A press release for the new record promised their “heaviest and most aggressive album to date.” The band backed this up live with their performances of new songs like “Out for Blood” and “The People Vs…”. On the latter, drummer Frank Zummo delivered a furious drum beat and lead guitarist Dave Baksh unleashed a screaming guitar solo. The end of the set was indeed all killer, no filler. The rockers closed out the central part of their performance with the one-two punch of “In Too Deep” and “Still Waiting.”
After departing the stage, the band quickly returned for their encore starting with the aforementioned “Machine Gun.” Then to close out the evening, Sum 41 broke out another pop-punk classic, “Fat Lip.” The crowd went wild one last time from the opening riff, and Whibley and Baksh effortlessly traded off vocals on the brash track.
